MERIDEN, CT — A Meriden tax preparer has been charged in a 19-count indictment with preparing numerous false income tax returns, according to officials.
Yuridia Trujillo, 43, of Meriden, who operated as a tax preparer under the business name Yuri's LLC, was arrested earlier this month, U.S. Attorney for Connecticut David X. Sullivan announced.
For the 2017 through 2024 tax years, officials said Trujillo prepared at least 4,335 tax returns for clients.
"On many of her clients' tax returns, Trujillo made materially false entries, including false deductions for Individual Retirement Account ("IRA") contributions and child and dependent care expenses; fabricated businesses and business deductions; fictitious losses for the buying and selling of stocks and cryptocurrency that clients never owned; and fabricated rental properties that would report little to no rental income, but significant deductible rental expenses," officials wrote in a news release. "The indictment further alleges that in association with preparing and filing Forms 1040 for clients, Trujillo also filed Forms 8888, entitled 'Allocation of Refund,' which allow taxpayers to elect to have a portion of a direct deposit tax refund deposited into up to three different bank accounts.
"Trujillo filed false Forms 8888 in connection with client tax returns that included the bank account and routing numbers of her own bank account and the bank account of an associate, thereby diverting a portion of client refunds to herself."
A grand jury in New Haven returned an indictment on Oct. 7 charging Trujillo with 19 counts of aiding and assisting in the preparation and presentation of a false income tax return, an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of three years on each count, according to officials.
Trujillo was arrested on Oct. 9, and is released on a $50,000 bond pending trial.
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